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Welcome to the Fishing Report from Townsend, Tennessee in the Great Smoky Mountains. At 4:44 am, the temperature is 57.7 degrees.

This beautiful Fall-like weather will continue. It will be mostly sunny today with a high in the low 80’s, dipping to the low 60’s tonight. Tomorrow will be sunny with temperatures similar to today. Sunday will be mostly sunny with a high near 84 degrees, falling to the middle 60’s at night. We do have a chance for showers in the afternoon and night. Labor day will be comfortable, with a high in the low 80’s, a slight chance for showers with a low in the low 60’s.

What a great Labor Day weekend this is going to be.

Little River is flowing at 850 cubic feet per second (cfs) or 3.18 feet on the gauge. Median flow for this date is 86 cfs. The water temperature is 63.5 degrees. We consider a gauge reading of 2.5 feet to be on the high side of good, something we normally see often in the Spring. The river is receding.

Little Pigeon River is receding, but still flowing at 1,150 cfs or 2.93 feet at the Sevierville gauge. Median flow for this date is 176 cfs.

Oconaluftee River is flowing at 835 cfs, 2.37 feet, compared to median flow of 205 cfs for this date. The water temperature is 61.2 degrees.

Tellico River is flowing high at 1,050 cfs, 3.32 feet, compared to median flow of 82 cfs.

Cataloochee Creek is flowing at 97.6 cfs, 2.58 feet, compared to median flow of 45 cfs. The water temperature is 59.4 degrees.

Overall, streams in the mountains are flowing above normal but receding. Water temperatures are excellent this morning, even in the low elevations. I think you can find some small streams to fish today, and more tomorrow. You should be able to fish in the low elevations this weekend. Check the temperatures with your thermometer. Look for 65 degrees or cooler. All streams will be swift so be careful wading. I would plan on using weighted nymph rigs today.

Lowland rivers are flowing fairly high and wading will be limited today. If you go, stand in safe water, casting nymphs or streamers, and possibly foam floating flies or poppers. I talked to my buddy Michael yesterday, who is Townsend’s mayor. He told me he and Brandy are planning to float Little River from Townsend to Walland at some point over the next three days. That sounds like fun.

Search through the TVA website from the links below and you will find some tailwater fishing options today. I noticed a couple that will not be fishable for wading anglers. But, there are some choices.

This may be a good lake fishing day but I would go early when the sun is off the water. Launch at daybreak and fish the banks with poppers, foam floating flies, streamers or nymphs. They are churning a lot of water at the dams on the Tennessee River. I don’t fish those lakes so I have no idea what conditions to expect.

Winds will be light today. After this weekend, we can expect the lake levels to drop further, with more generation at the dams. TVA and the Corps of Engineers will be creating more water storage capacity in the impoundments. The recreation boating season is coming to an end.

Kevin Howell, who owns Davidson River Outfitters in Pisgah Forest, North Carolina called me a couple of weeks ago. He is finishing a book on the topic of “Best Flies for the Smokies”, or something like that. He read off the list of flies and wondered if I thought he had left something out. I don’t think he left anything out. Kevin and I have been friends for many years.

I was browsing the internet this morning and found an article he wrote for Gink and Gasoline. He wrote about fishing for trout in Patagonia. I read it and as usual, he did a great job. You can read the article and watch a video by CLICKING HERE. Kevin also owns Andes Drifters, an outfitter in Patagonia. After reading this, you will want to go.

Have a great day and thank you for being here with us.

Byron Begley
September 3, 2021

WALTER BABB MADE BAMBOO FLY RODS FOR SALE – CLICK HERE

Walter is selling a selection of over 50 bamboo fly rods. All but one was made by him. The other one was custom made for Walter by Walton Powell. Read the description of each rod on the list and contact him if you are interested in buying one or more than one. Even if you are not interested in a purchase, this web page is very interesting to read. Walter has made over 285 bamboo rods over the past 20-years. You will be working directly with Walter on a purchase and you can test cast the rods before you buy one at his home. Or, call him and he will ship a rod to you. His contact information is on the web page he and I created.

Respond to: byron@littleriveroutfitters.com